beauty reviews & other musings

November 12, 2016November 9, 2016

“Face” by Pixiwoo/Sam & Nic Chapman

I love books, and I love beauty, so it makes sense for me to combine the two. I’ve recently been on a book-buying spree, favouring large, glossy non-fiction tomes over the paperback fantasy novels I used to read. I especially love the stunning photography that fills these books, and the passion with which the subject is written about.

One such example of this is “Face”, a recent release by Sam and Nic Chapman. Sam and Nic are sisters, makeup artists, YouTube stars, bloggers and part of the internationally-known makeup brush brand Real Techniques. I’ve watched these two on their Pixiwoo channel for years, and have always admired their down-to-earth approach and true adoration for the art of makeup and its power to help you express your individuality.

“Face” was announced earlier this year, and I’ve had it on preorder since then. It’s a hefty book, with a sleek black hardback cover featuring pictures of various models, looks and the sisters themselves. This book is intended to be a comprehensive guide to makeup, and would be excellent for an absolute beginner or young teenager looking to improve their skills or to find inspiration. Nevertheless despite wearing makeup for the best part of 10 years, I massively enjoyed sifting through this, and reading Sam and Nic’s commentary on the different aspects of beauty – in particular the autobiographical sections and Q&A.

The photography in this book is also incredibly stunning – images of high-fashion editorial looks, combined with quirky flat-lay style shots – my particular favourite is the one of foundation bottles in a circle (see below; I’m fairly sure these are some of the shades of the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation). The diversity of the models included in these shots is also a testament to the universality of makeup, further proving that different techniques and colour selections can look amazing on all different face types and skin tones.

I’m confident that this book will be sitting happily on my coffee table for the foreseeable future – alongside my copy of “Face Paint” by Lisa Eldridge, another amazing read – and I’ll be looking through it for hints, tips, and looks whenever I’m feeling uninspired by my makeup.

Congrats Sam and Nic on such a lovely book! “Face is available from all good booksellers both in-store and online, RRP £20.